


A Precious Find

by Lionfire42



Series: Jedi on Kamino [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), BAMF Cal Kestis, BD-1 Is The Best (Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order), Cal Kestis Needs a Hug, First Meetings, Jaro Tapal Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 03:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30083055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lionfire42/pseuds/Lionfire42
Summary: That saying about trash and treasure.OrCal meets a spunky little droid.
Relationships: BD-1 & Cal Kestis, Cal Kestis & Jaro Tapal
Series: Jedi on Kamino [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190609
Comments: 7
Kudos: 29





	A Precious Find

To the surprise of no one, looting battlefields is a lucrative business for all types of unsavory types: gangs, black market traders, collectors, even the civilians of liberated towns and cities and worlds.

What is a bit more surprising is how prominent the business of fixing up, reprogramming and modifying battle-droids can be. For some reason, the presence of a veritable legion of repurposed skinny droids was the hottest fad for mob bosses in the galactic underworld.

Which makes it all the more embarrassing, Cal thinks, hurling a vibroknife into a droid's optics as another—this one modified with twirling blades instead of arms and very determined to make him an amputee—jerkily rushs him, that he was captured in the first place.

It wasn't even by an especially menacing group, like the Hutts. It was a bunch of adrenaline and spice junkies obsessed with replacing parts of themselves with droid appendages, like some criminal group of Grievous groupies.

To be fair, it is his first solo mission, and he'd given as good as he got. Though the death of over a dozen mooks had driven the mob boss into a rage, it was that same bloodbath that meant he wasn't killed on the spot, instead being thrown into a cramped fighting pit with a few subpar weaponry and his wits.

It's more than enough.

He twists around a droid that is modded to throw  _ lightning _ of all things, slams a blade into its exposed actuator, and uses the momentum of his dodge to hurl the thing into a weakened wall just as it explodes, thus conveniently giving him a passage to shimmy through as the crowd screams in rage.

  
  
  


It's a miracle he was allowed to keep his gloves, as Cal fears he'd never get through this vent if he had to stop to experience every dead vermin's final moments.

He pauses over a grate, listening for more gangsters down below and double-checking his mental compass. Assured of both, he breaks the grate, drops down, slinks about two corners to the armory, where he slices the throat of one guard and leaves the other choking in his own blood, a broken blade in his neck.

He thanks the Force for lazy guards, as his gear is in a small pile on a table in the armory near the front, and the chip with information about this gang's dealings with Separatists in Republic space appears unharmed.

A small chirp makes him pause, and he looks at another table to see a small droid perched upon it. Binocular-like optics blink and whir at him, and two small and spindly legs hop from one pede to the other. It gives another plaintive chirp and he can't resist going over to look at it better.

It beeps at him and he snorts. "No, I'm not with them. Given that restraining bolt, I figure you're not on their side either?"

The droid gives a fierce whistle, and Cal can't help but grin at the little thing's spunk. "What's your name, little guy?"

A beep and whistle is his response.

"BD-1," he tests out the name and finds himself unopposed to it.

He really shouldn't do what he's about to do. The only thing a soldier was supposed to own was their unwavering desire to do their duty, and he knows General-Master Tapal won't exactly be pleased at the idea of his pseudo-Padawan having one something one may deem as a possession.

But the Force, untrained as he is in listening to it, nonetheless whispers it's approval as he removes the restraining bolt.

The droid beeps and twirls in joy, and before he can stop it, scuttles up his arm and settles itself comfortably on his back, just off his shoulder.

Cal understands, with that type of once-in-a-lifetime crystal clarity, that he has been regulated to being this droid primary mode of transportation for the rest of his days.

  
  
  


General-Master Tapal is suitably unimpressed with his new companion after he manages to rendezvous with the  _ Albedo Brave _ , but Cal assures him of the droid's tactical advantages, including impressive speed, small stature, built-in slicer and generator booster.

Tapal's eyes do that thing where they seem to soften with guilt and pity, and Cal doesn't understand it, just as he doesn't understand why Tapal always seems so sad when he salutes him, but Cal won't look a gift bantha in the mouth when Tapal gives his blessing. Arguably Cal could have filed an appeal citing BD-1's value in the field had Tapal denied him, but he doesn't want to do the paperwork and he'd rather not have to go over Tapal's head.

His brothers take well to BD-1(despite the predisposition of suspicion towards droids)  and for the rest of the war, it's not considered to be unusual to run a hand over the little droid's head for luck.

He's careful not to bring him around Krell though, save only once, on a planet called Umbara.

**Author's Note:**

> How could I not have a fic, however short, about BD-1?


End file.
